i•ron tri•an•gle, noun; american politics. 1) the relationship between government agencies, lobbyists and legislative committees which allows them to dominate policy in any specific area.

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Printable Guns Temporarily Blocked

A judge has temporarily blocked a Texas-based gun rights group from posting blueprints for guns to be made using 3-D printers.

The blueprints would have been posted online and would have been available to anyone for download.

Once downloaded, the blueprint could be used to print a variety of weapons from a 3-D printer, effectively bypassing all background checks, waiting periods, etc.

The temporary restraining order against the gun rights group is the result of eight states and the District of Columbia having filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block the blueprints from going online.

The White House said Tuesday that it supported an existing law that prohibits the manufacturing or sale of guns made of plastic and asserted that this law has already made 3-D printed guns illegal.

“The President is committed to the safety and security of all Americans; he considers this his highest responsibility. In the United States, it’s currently illegal to own or make a wholly plastic gun of any kind, including those made on a 3-D printer.” — Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley

The law in question, passed in 1988, was designed to prevent plastic guns on the grounds that they are undetectable by standard technologies like metal detectors.

The law was crafted in cooperation with the National Rifle Association, and it appears that the president once again consulted the NRA regarding the 3-D gun conundrum, confirming what most of us already knew: every decision the president makes is influenced by special interests groups.

While Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson did shut down his site in response to the court order, the Firearms Policy Coalition went through with posting the plans online and said that it “does not recognize” the order.

It is quite possible that other sites downloaded the blueprints from Defense Distributed prior to the judge’s order and that those sites have made the blueprints available, as well.

“These downloadable firearms are available even to those who could not pass a background check. It’s the ultimate gun loophole. Why buy them if you can print them at home instead? These firearms are also untraceable. They will not have a serial number for law enforcement to reference.” — Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)

The case will return to court on August 10 to decide if a preliminary injunction is necessary.